More questions about Nadador.

[ashleyy]

I got Nadador from WalMart 20 days ago today. When I got him his fins looked ragged and he was refusing to eat and was very aloof. Now his fins seem to be growing back and he eats like a hog :D

But, when I see pictures of other bettas he seems really thin in comparison.
Also, he gets really pale on the base of his fins at least once a day. One day he got VERY pale. So pale, that if someone had seen him for the first time, they would probably think he was a creamy white betta with red tips on his fins. (He is my avatar pic) I test his water and all the numbers are great.

I also have no clue if he's digesting or pooping okay.
He gets bloated very fast when I feed him. I usually feed him a tiny bit of flakes and a crushed up pellet in the morning. and His stomach gets very swollen. I think it could be because he is so skinny his stomach pokes out? I also feed him a blood worm when I get home and another crushed pellet before bed.

I tried not feeding him yesterday and he was still bloated today So I gave him 3 tiny pieces of a pea. I wish I could see him poop lol, sounds funny, but what should normal poop look like?

Other than all this he swims around very gracefully and his fins aren't clamped. He seems to be content with his house, but I don't know why he is always bloated and turns pale all the time. :[

[Adastra]

Could you tell me more about your setup, water change routine, and feeding routine? Is the tank heated?

Normal poop should be about the size of a grain of rice--not necessarily as straight or as thick, however. It should be brownish to orangish depending on the kind of food you've been feeding him. It shouldn't be white or stringy.

[Jupiter]

If he bloats when you feed him, you could be feeding him too much.

Generally bettas should be feed 4/5 pellets a day-but smaller ones will eat less, naturally, and bigger ones may eat more.

And do you feed him bloodworms everyday? Because they should only be given once a week as a treat-they're not very nutricious.

Also consider fasting your betta once a week to help clear his digestive tract.

If you find he is constipated, you can also try feeding him Daphnia-I hear that helps. bettas can't digest peas so well because it's vegetable matter.

[ashleyy]

He is in a 2.5 gal critter keeper, heated to 82 degrees. I 100% water change every 3 days. I feed him Tetra BettaMin Tropical medley flakes, Wardley's Pellets, Bio-Gold pellets, Tetra Sun-dried baby shrimp and San fransico's frozen blood worms.

I give him bloodworms (one or two) sometimes every day but usually every other. I didn't know it was a once a week thing, so now I'll use it as a treat :]

I don't completely fast him, but once a week I will give him only one pellet. It's hard for me to not feed him because I recently got him to start eating lol..

His stomach has been the same size since yesterday, hopefully he will poop something out. I swear I never see him poop or ever see his actual poop. hes a pooping phantom... haha!